Jeremiah 51:4 kjv
Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.
Jeremiah 51:4 nkjv
Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, And those thrust through in her streets.
Jeremiah 51:4 niv
They will fall down slain in Babylon, fatally wounded in her streets.
Jeremiah 51:4 esv
They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and wounded in her streets.
Jeremiah 51:4 nlt
They will fall dead in the land of the Babylonians,
slashed to death in her streets.
Jeremiah 51 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 7:33 | And the carcasses of this people shall be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away. | Complete destruction and exposure of dead bodies. |
| Jeremiah 19:7 | And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: and I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but that I might destroy them. | Divine judgment leading to utter annihilation. |
| Jeremiah 25:33 | And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. | Parallel prophecy of widespread destruction and unburied bodies. |
| Ezekiel 39:11 | And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of renown, a burial place for Israel, a valley of passengers traversing; and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it the Valley of Hamongog. | Burial of enemies as a sign of God's victory. |
| Revelation 19:17 | And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; | Birds of prey feasting on the bodies of the wicked. |
| Revelation 19:18 | That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. | Similar imagery of unburied bodies as food for scavengers. |
| Deuteronomy 28:26 | And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the heaven, and unto the beasts of the earth; and no man shall fray them away. | Conditional curse for disobedience including exposure of bodies. |
| Isaiah 5:14 | Therefore hell hath enlarged her desire, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. | God's judgment leading to utter destruction and descent into the grave. |
| Psalm 79:3 | And have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. | Lament for the unburied dead due to enemy action. |
| Matthew 24:28 | For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. | Jesus uses a similar image to describe the final judgment. |
| Revelation 20:12 | And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. | General resurrection for judgment. |
| Jeremiah 50:28 | They cried against all those that inhabit the land of Babylon, and walked through the land of Babylon, to render unto him that flees an answer, say ye, Israel is delivered: for he hath prevailed against Babylon according to every word of the LORD that he spake against his habitation. | The deliverance of Israel from Babylon. |
| Jeremiah 50:17 | Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him, and last this king of Babylon hath broken his bones. | The oppression Israel suffered from empires. |
| Psalm 110:6 | He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; and beat in pieces the heads over many countries. | Messiah's judgment leading to widespread death. |
| Job 20:7 | Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? | The ultimate disgrace and disappearance of the wicked. |
| Hosea 9:1 | Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, and hast loved a reward in every cornfield, and hast profited by the threshing floor. | The spiritual unfaithfulness of Israel. |
| Lamentations 1:16 | For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter is far from me, that should relieve my soul: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. | Desolation due to enemy conquest. |
| Nahum 2:13 | Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and thy young lions shall be a prey to the sword; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. | Prophecy against Nineveh with imagery of destruction. |
| Proverbs 30:17 | The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. | Divine punishment on those who disrespect parents. |
Jeremiah 51 verses
Jeremiah 51 4 Meaning
Those slain of the Lord shall lie as refuse upon the face of the earth. They shall not be gathered nor buried. This signifies a complete and utter destruction, where even the basic rites of human decency are withheld from the enemies of God. Their bodies will become commonplace, undistinguished detritus on the land, a stark visual representation of divine judgment.
Jeremiah 51 4 Context
Jeremiah 51 is the conclusion of a prophecy against Babylon. The entire chapter details the impending doom of the city and its empire. Specifically, chapter 51 addresses the utter devastation that will befall Babylon due to its wickedness and opposition to God's people, Israel. Verse 4 speaks directly about the fate of those who are slain in this final divine judgment against Babylon, highlighting the completeness of their destruction and the indignity they will suffer. This fits into the broader theme of the book of Jeremiah, which pronounces judgment on Judah and surrounding nations for their sin, while also offering a message of future restoration. The prophecy against Babylon is seen as a demonstration of God's sovereignty over all nations and His ultimate justice.
Jeremiah 51 4 Word Analysis
- כִּי (ki): A versatile Hebrew conjunction.
- Meaning: "for," "because," "that," "when."
- Significance: Introduces the reason or consequence, linking the destruction of Babylon to the fate of its slain.
- שְׁלִילֵי (shəliyley): From the root שָׁלַל (shalal), meaning "spoiled," "plundered," or "prey."
- Meaning: "the slain," "those spoiled/plundered."
- Significance: Emphasizes that these individuals are not just casualties but victims of a divinely orchestrated judgment, "spoiled" or taken by God.
- יְהוָה (YHWH): The covenant name of God.
- Meaning: "the LORD."
- Significance: Attributes the action of slaying to God Himself, underscoring divine authority and action.
- יִשְׁכְּבוּ (yishkəvu): Third-person masculine plural imperfect from the root שָׁכַב (shakhavev), meaning "to lie down."
- Meaning: "they shall lie down."
- Significance: A passive posture, indicating the finality of their death and their position on the ground.
- כְּמוֹ (kəmô): A preposition or adverb.
- Meaning: "like," "as."
- Significance: Introduces a comparison to describe the manner of their lying.
- פְּגָרִים (pəgarim): Plural of פֶּגֶר (peger), meaning "carcass," "dead body."
- Meaning: "carcasses."
- Significance: A strong word implying a lifeless, decaying body, distinct from a respected corpse that would be buried.
- בְּרֶבַע (bəreva'): Preposition בְּ (bə-) "in," "on," and רְבַע (reva') from the root רָבַע (ravva') meaning "to lie down" or "quadruped," thus "quarters," "expanse."
- Meaning: "on the expanse," "upon the face."
- Significance: Refers to the broad, open surface of the ground.
- הָאָרֶץ (ha'aretz): Article הַ (ha-) + אֶרֶץ (eretz).
- Meaning: "the earth," "the land."
- Significance: Denotes the totality of the ground where they will lie.
- וְלֹא (wəlô): Conjunction וְ (wə-) "and" + negation לֹא (lô) "not."
- Meaning: "and not."
- Significance: Introduces the second part of the divine judgment on their treatment after death.
- יִסָּפְדוּ (yissəphədu): Third-person masculine plural imperfect, passive voice from the root סָפַד (saphead), meaning "to mourn," "to lament."
- Meaning: "they shall be lamented."
- Significance: Highlights the absence of any grief or mourning for them by survivors, signifying their utter rejection.
- וְלֹא (wəlô): "and not."
- Significance: Continues the negation.
- יִקָּבְצוּ (yiqqəbtzu): Third-person masculine plural imperfect, passive voice from the root קָבַץ (qavatz), meaning "to gather," "to assemble."
- Meaning: "they shall be gathered."
- Significance: Denies them the dignity of being collected for burial.
- וְלֹא (wəlô): "and not."
- Significance: Continues the negation.
- יִקָּבְרוּ (yiqqəbru): Third-person masculine plural imperfect, passive voice from the root קָבַר (qavar), meaning "to bury."
- Meaning: "they shall be buried."
- Significance: The ultimate denial of proper burial rites, indicating total disgrace and oblivion.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "those slain of the LORD shall lie as carcasses": This phrase (כִּי שְׁלִילֵי יְהוָה יִשְׁכְּבוּ כְּמוֹ פְּגָרִים) emphasizes that the destruction is a direct act of God, and the fallen are mere "carcasses," dehumanized and stripped of dignity, unlike the respected dead who would be treated with honor.
- "upon the face of the earth": This idiom (בְּרֶבַע הָאָרֶץ) paints a picture of widespread dispersion and exposure, emphasizing that the slain will not be concentrated in a specific place but scattered widely, their bodies lying exposed on the land.
- "and not be lamented, nor gathered, nor buried": This tripartite negation (וְלֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבְצוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבְרוּ) reiterates the completeness of their demise and the finality of God's judgment. It outlines the absence of communal grief, physical collection, and the solemn act of burial—all marks of respect for the deceased. The repetition of "nor" (וְלֹא) intensifies the sense of complete abandonment and divine retribution.
Jeremiah 51 4 Bonus Section
The imagery of unburied carcasses is a common trope in ancient Near Eastern literature and biblical prophecy, often signifying total defeat, divine abandonment, and public disgrace. The Babylonian cuneiform inscriptions sometimes record the utter destruction of cities, and prophets of Israel like Isaiah and Ezekiel used similar vivid imagery to portray God's judgments on various nations, including the surrounding pagan empires and even unfaithful Israel. This verse in Jeremiah 51, in its stark depiction, serves not just as a prophecy of judgment on Babylon, but as a timeless reminder of the ultimate accountability before the divine standard, and the fate that awaits those who ultimately fall outside God's favor. It amplifies the weight of judgment beyond mere physical death, encompassing social and spiritual oblivion.
Jeremiah 51 4 Commentary
Jeremiah 51:4 serves as a potent image of God's judgment upon Babylon. The inhabitants, particularly those in military defeat, will lie dead and unceremoniously scattered across the land. This state of being unlamented, ungregated, and unburied signifies the ultimate indignity and finality of God's wrath upon those who oppose Him and oppress His people. It highlights that divine judgment is not merely about death but about the complete erasure of recognition and respect for the defeated enemy. This verse mirrors other prophetic declarations and prophetic actions concerning the treatment of the dead after catastrophic battles, all pointing to God's ultimate justice and victory over His enemies. The lack of proper burial rites underscores the severity of their downfall and the comprehensive nature of God's verdict against them.